Sum by David Eagleman

The author uses a very tight short fiction form to suggest 40 different visions of the afterlife. Each story, no longer than a page or two at most, takes as it’s starting point a radically unusual view of god, the universe, humanity or the nature of existence, and builds from there a very convincing tale.

Stand-out stories for me include the ideas of humans created as observing machines, the afterlife as a horse, god’s empathy with Frankenstein, and a wonderful play on the complexity of human feelings in relationships.

This book blurs boundaries between fiction and philosophy and leaves the reader’s brain feeling pleasantly exercised. It would be easy to whizz through it in a single sitting, but to do so would be a mistake. I recommend reading one or two stories a day to get the full effect.